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Monkey Mind Manners

First, let me clarify my two metaphors. I use ‘lizard brain’ a lot. And now I’m using ‘monkey mind’. Is there a difference?

For me, the lizard brain is the part of me that’s angry, jealous, resentful, scared:

When someone else does it better than me, and my immediate reaction is, “Why them, and not me??” When I see someone else’s fabulous work, and my immediate reaction is, “My work’s just as good!” When someone else gets into that show/gets that award/has more sales/success/whatever-the-fear-flavor-of-the-day is, and I think, “My work’s better than theirs, why did they get it/in/that and not me?!” Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!! GRRRRRRRR!!!!

“Why doesn’t that person like me?? Did I do something wrong? Maybe when I said blah she thought I meant blah. Should I have said blah? Should I ask her? ” “Why didn’t anyone buy this necklace?? Am I charging too much??” (Since I don’t even earn minimum wage, that is really scary!) “I can’t figure this out! What’s wrong with me?? Am I losing it? Will I end up in the streets??” Blah blah blah blah and more blah.

Lizard brain and monkey brain are both scared, and angry.

When threatened, lizard brain attacks ‘the other’.

When threatened, monkey brain attacks me.

Neither one serves me.

I have a mantra for lizard brain:

Life is a pie. If I believe the pie is finite, then when someone else gets a piece of pie, that means there’s less for me.

But if I believe the pie is infinite in size, then there’s enough pie for everyone.

So what’s my mantra for monkey mind?

Not sure yet. But I know having compassion for monkey mind (rather than berating it, because after all, it’s me) and giving it something to distract it (“Here, count my breathes with me!”) helps.

I read something years ago that stays with me: “You are not that anxious voice in your head. You are the person listening.” This helps.

4 thoughts on “Monkey Mind Manners”

I have recently stopped using the mantras and begun to divest (rid oneself of something that one no longer wants or requires) myself of both lizard and monkey. You have the answer in your post: “You are not that anxious voice in your head. You are the person listening.” I find this true. Lizard and Monkey are both a “part” of my mind; those parts do not serve me. I do not need them. And I can choose to let them go. Thank you for bringing this up, Luann. It’s good to look at.

Luann – love what you are working out in this post and agree with Norbel’s observation about not being the anxious voice but being the person listening. I have an artist friend who always refers to himself as Monkey Mind, which has had a different connotation for me than yours (which I thought seemed more ‘lizard’-like) so just checked Google…Here’s a very interesting video, and a Wikipedia definition to add to the topic:

LOL, I used to think this was just me. Now I know that every single creative human being worries about this! We always worry we’ll never be as great as our last success. And then we sit down, and start on something, and fall into it, and….ta da! Another wonderful piece.